Gun sighting prompts call to police

Will Broaddus |, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read
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Feb. 24—NORTH ANDOVER — Someone saw a man wearing a gun on his belt at Market Basket last Saturday and called the police.

"Three officers responded, located the man, confirmed he was licensed, and spoke to him about carrying his firearm in a manner that doesn't alarm people," said Det. Lt. Eric Foulds of the North Andover Police Department.

The police log noted that the caller said the man with the gun did "not appear to be in a type of uniform." That presumably would have provided one explanation as to why the man was armed.

A license to carry a firearm falls into one of two categories, Foulds said, class A or B.

"Class B can only carry non-large capacity weapons, and cannot carry concealed, but can open carry," he said. "Class A can carry large capacity firearms, and can carry concealed as well as open."

But the fact that a gun is visible may just be a momentary occurrence, and wouldn't necessarily explain which kind of license a wearer has.

"Just because a person can see a firearm does not mean it is being open carried," Foulds said. "A shirt or jacket can ride up exposing a concealed firearm."

After police have determined that someone is licensed to carry a firearm, they can still make a decision about that person's frame of mind.

"Officers can make a determination when encountering a licensed person carrying a firearm, but this situation did not warrant it," Foulds said. "That would happen if the individual was impaired by alcohol or drugs, or if they were displaying plainly erratic behavior."

He suggested that members of the public may want to use similar criteria in judging someone with a gun.

"Many people carry firearms everyday as they go about their business," Foulds said. "If the person is displaying obviously erratic behavior, I recommend contacting your local police."